Building-blocks



(NoModeI.)

` J. A. 4RANllfIJ...

,BUILDING BLOCKS.

Patented. Jan; 9,v 41883.

llllNlHlI lill!! ATTORNEY@ UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

BUILDING-BLOCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 27,206, dated January 9, 1883.

4 Aspnemimi niet November es, 1882. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JEssE A. URANDALL, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented an Improved Building-Block, ot' which the following is a specication.

Figure l representsa plan view of four of my `improved building-blocks placed together; Fig. 2, a plan view of the same four blocks, showing them placed in a different-position; Fig. 3, an elevation showing three of said blocks placed in another position. Fig. 4 isa side view of a representation ot' a lighthouse produced from my new blocks. Fig. 5 is a top view ofthe circularpart of the light-house; Fig. 6, a top view ofthe uppermost portion of said light-house; Fig. 7, a side view of one of the blocks used in said uppermost portion, and Fig. 8 a perspective view of acube produced from four of my improved blocks.

This invention relates to a new building- `block for children; and it consists in making said building-block mainlyof triangular form,

so that such a block can be utilized in producing a great variety of structures; also in vbeveling two of the corners of each triangular block, all as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accom pan ying drawings, with special reference to Fig. l, the letters A, B, C, and D represent four of my building-blocks. of these blocks has substantially triangular faces, as shown in Figs. l and 2, and quadrangular ends, as shown in Fig. 2; but one part of my invention consists, also, in beveling otl' two of the corners, a and b, of each of said blocks. The blocks are of suitable size and thickness, and Fig. 4 shows a structure built up of series of these blocks, each series containing four, the series in Fig. 4 being marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and l0, respectively. ltwill be seen from that gure that the blocks 1, 2, 4, 6, and "8 are of lesser thickness than the blocks 3, 5, 7, and 9, and that theirlengths or lilies of base are also Varying.

The `structure built up of the triangular blocks may be smaller when the blocks are arranged as in Fig. l--that is, with the bases Each the triangles on the inner side, and it will hc clearly seen that a larger structure can be built up from a given number of blocks when the blocks are placed as in Fig. 2 than there could be made from them as placed in Fig. l. By beveling the edges b a the structure built up as in Fig. 2 is made the firmer, because there are short contact-taces for the blocks, which would not exist if complete triangular forms were selected 5 and, moreover, in building up a structure by arranging the blocks as in' Fig. 1 the real outline will be substantially octagonal and give room for exercising the ingenuity of the child,in requiringit to match the abutting faces a, b of the several blocks that pertain to each series, said faces being Vprovided with letters of the alphabet, representations ot' faces, or other decorations that will produce different eiects, according to the manner in which the blocks are arranged. Thus, for example, the four principal exposed faces resulting from the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 may exhibit letters, representations ot' men, and inscriptions, whereas the eight exposed faces resulting from the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 may represent legends or and may,moreover, require the proper matching ofthe blocks. The blocks may also be arranged into representations of houses, as in Fig. 3, in which case their exposed ends will be utilized to aid in complet-ing the effect of the structure to be represented, and thus the said blocks can be a source of iniinite amusement and instruction, more so than the ordinary cubical blocks now usually employed. The said blocks can also be arranged, as in Fig. 8, to take the place ofthe ordinary letterblocks.

The blocks E E (shown in Fig. 5) can be added, if desired, to the collection of blocks A B C D,to produce such effects as that shown in Fig. et, and likewise the blocks F F. (Shown in Figs. 6 and 7.)

1. The building blocks A B C D, con- IOO 8o decorations ot' an entirely different character,

structedv with triangnlar faces, quadrangular This specification of my invention signed ends, and with ornamentationsthereon for comthis 23d day of November, 1882. bined use, substantially as, herein shown and described. JESSE A. CRANDALL.

2. The building-blocks A B C D, made with f triangular faces, quadrangnlar ends, and bev- Witnesses:

eled corners a b, substantially as herein shown JULIUs HUELSEN, J r.,

and described. Y v v WILLY G. E. SCHULTZ. 

